I didn't know anything about Songkran before, but my mom/sister booked the ticket for our trip on April 9-16 and here we are, having a vacation in Bangkok, during the Songkran week. It is the Thai's New Year national holiday on April 13-15, but the celebration goes on for a week. The good thing is, everybody is on holiday mood. But the bad news is that some of the places we wanted to go are closed or way too packed with people. Still, everybody is wearing colourful, flowery shirts so it seemed that I had to match the dress code.


Day 1

me, Mom, and Ben on the bus ride to Chatucak area where we took a transit to MRT ride

We went by the 12.40 p.m. Air Asia flight on Tuesday and arrived in Don Mueang International Airport before 4 p.m. My brother Ben picked us up at the airport and we took a bus ride to Chatuchak area, and switched to MRT ride to Phra Ram 9 station, then walked to Ben's apartment at Din Daeng area. We refreshed a bit and changed outfit, then took another MRT ride to Si Lom.

what welcomed us once we stepped outside the Phra Ram 9 MRT station

Bangkok is more/less similar to Jakarta, but we Jakartans are not as patient when it comes to bus queuing, I guess

took a turn behind the Fortune Town building to this street lyfe of Ratchadapisek Alley

dragged our luggage along the alley of Yu Charoen Road

one more turn and we'll arrive

We had KFC for dinner (there were not much time and we didn't know the area) then I walked the rest 15-minutes stroll to The Hop. This is the place where Bangkok Swing community do their twice-a-week social dances. I felt like being in a New York dancing studio, with the stairs entrance and hallway to the third floor, the wooden flooring, brick walls, and wall mirrors, plus the bar they have there. They even have a small Hop Shop that sells the stuff we need for lindy hop dancing, from dancing shoes to vintage outfit.

took me a great 20-minutes of walking from Si Lom MRT station to get here

Entrance to The Hop at Silom Road

They have two floors for dancing, all with wooden flooring and brick walls. I went to the smaller room on the top floor, which feels so New Yorkish with the wooden floor and arched windows. The dance started at 8.30 p.m., after the 30-minute intro class for beginners. You need to pay for THB 200 that includes welcome drink (mineral water or juice) but they also have cocktails and beer if you want an upgrade. I think there were at least 50 people in the dancing room that night, so packed I know, but they said some of them were already on vacation so you can only guess how many people they usually have on social dances there.

inside The Hop, they were on a dancing workshop here -- that circular stairs lead to another dancing room in the attic

this is where we danced for social night -- they have it every Tuesday and Saturday night, starting 8 pm

It was a really fun 1.5-hours of dancing that night (not enough for me but better than no dancing at all tho), but I had to end it earlier because my mom, waited with my brother for me, was already tired. We needed to make another half-hour walk back to the MRT station and stopped by for a bit to peek at the Pat Pong (Silom night market) and some Japanese-like alleyways of pubs and night life, the kinds of night market you can find at Si Lom area. But we were saving the shopping time for next days.


Day 2

Embassy of Indonesia in Bangkok at Phetchaburi Road

We had to go to the Embassy of Indonesia (KBRI) in the Pratunam area because Ben had to do his voting for president that day. After the vote we walked to Platinum Fashion Mall for a shortcut but apparently we had some shopping there, and at the Novotel Bangkok Platinum Pratunam Mall too. We walked through the skywalk bridge and arrived at Central World. We had lunch at the food court there, and took a little stroll around the mall (it was reported then, that the mall was on fire a little after we left it).

my brother did his vote a week earlier than us in Indonesia

Ratchadamri Road from the skywalk bridge

I like that they build the skywalk bridges 3-metres wide so people can also stop by to enjoy the scenery while walking

another mall across the road but we didn't visit it

all those street food they sell at the bazaar in the Central World front plaza

in front of Central World

we didn't want to think much so we went to food court for lunch

our lunch at Central World's food court contains a lot of pork

Mom shopping for some sour candies

Then, we carried on with a little walking to Siam Paragon, which located in the next block after Wat Pathum Wanaram temple. But we didn't enter the temple -- it was too hot and we were too tired. We had some coffee here, that worked double as energy recharging.

me posing in front of Siam Paragon

Siam Paragon and the BTS railway

between Siam Paragon and Siam Center

When we finally ready at about 16:30 we walked through Siam Center and to the BTS station where we rode to Chong Nonsi station. It leads us right to the King Power Mahanakhon Tower and we entered the tallest building in Bangkok. The ticket is THB 765 per person, and we took an elevator to the 74th floor. It was just splendid to see the whole city from such height, but it wasn't all.

the heavy traffic down there made us thankful for BTS tracks

at the Chong Nonsi BTS station

outside the BTS station

skyscapers around the Mahanakhon Skywalk

heading to the Mahanakhon Skywalk building

the tickets for Mahanakhon Skywalk rooftop

some view from the 74th floor

just us trying to look cool with selfie stick -- still on 74th floor

now this is the western view from the 78th floor

I don't really get it why they make the stadium-seating facing south--they have the glass tray in front of us there

Bangkok from 78th floor

 

feeling like on top of the world here, 314 metres above the ground

rules to get on the 'glass tray': protection from shoes and bags

those blue socks cover the glass from friction with our shoes

forgive my pose here, but I couldn't think of any better idea up there, with crowded people around

the beautiful twilight sky and the building's tube elevator

enjoying the romantic twilight on the rooftop

The DJ played cool lounge tunes

We took an escalator to 75th floor, then another elevator to the 78th. There, we were already on the rooftop, 310 meters high. We took another climb up to the very top, at the height of 314 meters and watched the 360-degree city view from up there. After the sun set we took a pic on the glass floor they already prepared for photo freaks like us. But we had to cover our shoes to keep them from any friction with the glass floor and put our belongings aside. And we cannot take selfies. All pictures must be taken by another person behind the line they set.

don't we like structures? well, I do

inside the BTS station, which I think is busier than MRT station -- maybe because they have small shops in the station

Asok BTS station that connects with Terminal 21 mall

We had dinner at Pier 21 food court

forgot what they call of this dish, but chicken kwayteow seemed like a 'safe' dish for me

We took so many pics until the twilight sky then went back. The merchandise shop is on the way back, so don't worry if you want to take some of the memories home. They also offer the pics they taken when you first arrive but you don't have to redeem it if you don't feel like it (we didn't). We went back by BTS to Terminal 21 Mall and had dinner at the food court. It was near 10 p.m. and the mall was closing. Then another MRT ride to Phra Ram 9 station, and we called it a day.


Day 3

our lunch: som tum and some pork dish

this is the som tum resto we had lunch at

We started late this day because we knew we'd have it till late so we needed to save some energy. By lunch time we walked to The Grand Rama 9 Central Mall next to G-Tower building where my brother works. We had som tum (papaya salad) for lunch and we liked it so much, paired it with sliced pork and pork meatball. We chilled a little bit more at the mall before taking a MRT ride one station away, took off at Thailand Cultural Center station, and walked a little bit to The Street Ratchada. It's a new mall with industrial architecture that makes it look empty and cold, but there are restaurants, cafes, and shops.

The Street -- they were having an event that night so people were busy constructing the stage

It was literally empty at 2 p.m. there

tried my first mango sticky rice in a cup here

We visited the Big C Supermarket just because my brother was working on some of its IT programs. Turned out it's super similar to our Carrefour or Giant, so we quickly moved to The Esplanade --all within walking distance-- and waited there till sunset time. We hung out at Cafe Amazon and I liked the plastic glass they use. It's made out of thick one that we brought it home to make a good reuse of it.

this chain cafe is restaurant and a recommended one

At 6 p.m. my brother ushered us to the parking area at the 4th floor where we saw one of the most beautiful sunset sky from. Imagine watching a slowly lit rows of colourful tents with the sunset as its background. It was mesmerizing and we stood there for almost 50 minutes there. Nearing 7 p.m. we went down and entered the Ratchada Rot Fai (Train Night Market) from the side of The Esplanade parking building.

looking at the sunset with this specific colourful market is just something

..and when the lights started to turned on, it was magical!

Entering the night market is totally another experience. With the indigo twilight sky, it feels like entering a magical lines of tents, smelling various kinds of cooked/fried/grilled meals: pancakes, meats, rice, peppers, and other spices... Makes you crave for eating all the savoury delights they offer (read here for recommendations). We moved to the non-food area because we were still full, and found the parts that sell goods.

entering the market with the west twilight sky as the background

some of the uniqueness you'll find there

lots of nice things to buy here of course!

We swept the tents line by line, stopping by at some interesting tents, shopped for the things intriguing enough for us to bring home, and enjoyed the whole experience so much. Seems like people all around the world, the tourists, were here: Asians (Koreans are more distinctive than the others), Caucasians, Aethiopian... This market is just that colourful--very interesting!

we're just so happy to be here

some stalls don't have tents tho

the pubs area are so interesting, but we didn't have energy for hanging out here after shopping

the signage at the entrance

At about 8:30 we started to feel hungry and decided to queue for a giant bowl of boiled pig spine with the spicy and sour green-chili soup at Leng Saab. The queue was long, the tables are always full, but the wait is just so worth it. They have the portions till XXL size for 6-8 people, but we had the XL one for 4. We didn't order any side dish or rice, and it was a right decision: we were too full when it all finished. They give us plastic gloves to eat with all our might, and I felt a bit like barbarian there, plus the hot weather, and there were no place to pretty-eating here. Such experience you just must have!

the Leng Saab food stall

see how packed this place is?

the XL portion can feed up to 4-6 people, if you have rice with it

yup, we had this for the 3 of us

We continued sweeping the rest of the tent lines we hadn't, and though we planned to chill for some drinks at one of the pubs there, we were all too tired when we finished all the tent rows. With shopping bags full, we decided to call it a day at around 11 p.m. More people are still coming because the market opens till 1-2 a.m. and most of the locals come for the pubs. We assumed the MRT would be full so we walked home, about 1.3 kilometres, and soaked in a hot shower that night. Tired, but all fun!


*) TIPS & TRICK


1. Preferable attire

I found this outfit extremely comfortable to travel in Bangkok, both for indoor and outdoor condition

My brother said ever since he moved to Bangkok in September 2018 it hadn't rain except that one time, in the middle of the night, so you can expect this city will always be sunny. Make sure you are dressed appropriately when you go to temple (modest clothing) but you are free to wear anything anywhere else in the city. Shorts and tank tops are acceptable in malls and streets.


2. What to bring along

Guess I'll make a short list here for you:

• Hat or something to cover your head from the sun if you plan to walk around the city
• Umbrella for temple hopping, especially around the Grand Palace, because it's super HOT
• Drinking tumbler that you can refill at your hotel to avoid using too many plastic bottles
• And of course, the (foldable) shopping bag to avoid using plastic shopping bags
• Separate coin purse for the Baht to avoid mixing it with your country's currency
• Comfortable strap sandals or outdoor are great
• Keep your passport with you all the time

found a good deal for this pair of sandals at VNC sale rack -- and these are so great to wear for all-day walking in Bangkok!

3. Public transport

You can easily travel with two of Bangkok's mass transit systems: the BTS (Bangkok Tube Skytrain) that operates above the ground, and the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit Authority) that goes underground. These are managed separately, although there are transit bridges that connect both stations, thus they have different systems and cards.

the adult card for MRT trips

the plastic token for MRT's single trip

the thin card for BTS' single trip

You can buy a card and top-up the credit at the counter(s) next to the tapping gates, or you can purchase a single-use plastic token (MRT) or single-use card (BTS) if you don't want to keep any card with you. These tokens and cards can be obtained at a vending machine in every station. Use 10s, 5s or 1s coins to purchase, or get change at the counter.

Meanwhile you can pay with cash/coin for buses, taxis, and online taxi.

Bangkok's BTS and MRT map via travelhappy

4. Train Night Market

The night market of Ratchada Train opens at 6 p.m. everyday. So you can just board off the MRT at Thailand Cultural Center station and walk to the market behind The Esplanade mall. Bring a big shopping bag to avoid usage of plastic bag, deal politely with the sellers for reasonable prices, and eat interesting, one-of-a-kind food here. They have plenty to offer, so eating in smaller portion is advised so you can try as many kinds of food as you like.

bro, me and mom after hoursss of shopping here

If you have lots of time, you can walk the alleys first to look then come back later to buy. But the alleys are narrow and look-alike, so it's better to buy things when you first visit them because coming back to a stall/tent might be quite a trip for they look similar. Most shops sell similar things with similar/average price, but there are shops that sell unique stuff. If you see something different and interested on it, buy immediately. 50-baht difference is not so much a problem, I'd say. 


Read more about my Bangkok Trip in Part Two here.